According to a statement made by the Gaza Media Office, the number of infants among cold deaths registered in the tent camps of Gaza over the week has reached six. An infant displaced by the Israeli bombardments, Ali al-Batran, succumbed to the severe cold and absence of heating. His twin, Jumaa al-Batran, also died due to the extreme cold after having been on critical treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Local health authorities have reported that the death toll for babies who have frozen in Gaza has now risen to six, with this happening over the last week. Gaza, which has an approximate population of 2.3 million, has been subject to Israeli bombardment since October 7 of the year 2023. The UN states that nine out of every 10 people in Gaza have been uprooted because of these attacks and live in makeshift tents as winter temperatures descend.
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Families in these camps are increasingly falling short on the basic necessities of life—clothing, bedding, and blankets-worsening the consequences for the crying infants left especially vulnerable to cold extremes. This, coupled with the harsh conditions of living and blockade, has driven Gaza to the brink of starvation.
The conflict has resulted in more than 45,500 recorded deaths to date. The International Criminal Court had issues between November 24 and 30 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for their role in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel has drawn up a genocide case pending at the International Court of Justice.